Gobelin tapestry. This is the name given to the royal factory established in Paris at the outer limit of the faubourg St. Marceau for the production of tapestries and furniture for the crown. See Tapestry.

The building which now houses this factory was built by the Gobelin brothers, famous dyers, who were the first to bring to Paris the secret of that beautiful scarlet color that still bears their name, as does the little river Bièvre on the banks of which they established themselves, and which since then is mostly known in Paris under the name of the River of the Gobelin.

It was in 1667 that an edict of King Louis XIV changed the name of Tobie Gobelin to Royal Hôtel of the Gobelin.

Having re-established and beautified the royal edifices, especially the Louvre and the Tuileries, Colbert thought of having furniture made that would be suited to the magnificence of these buildings. For this purpose he gathered together some of the best craftsmen of the kingdom, men skilled in all kinds of arts and manufactures, especially painters, tapestry workers, sculptors, goldsmiths, cabinet makers. He attracted workers from other nations by promises of magnificent pensions and considerable privileges.

In order to give permanence to the establishment he was planning, he persuaded the king to acquire the famous Hôtel de Gobelin, so as to provide the workers with living quarters and give them regulations that would assure their position and settle their administration:

The king orders and declares that these manufactures shall be administered and managed by the superintendent of buildings, arts, and manufactures of France; that the ordinary masters will be responsible for any lawsuits or actions of their own, their families, and their servants; that no tapestries are to be brought from other countries, etc.

The factory of the Gobelins is still the first of its kind in the world. The quantity of the works it has produced and the quantity of workers who were trained there is unbelievable. [2]

As a matter of fact France owes the progress of the arts and manufactures to this establishment.

Nothing equals the beauty of these tapestries. Under the supervision of Colbert and his successor Louvois, the tapestries of high warp and low loom have achieved a degree of perfection superior to what the English or Flemings have ever produced.

The battles of Alexander, the four seasons, the four elements, the royal houses, the scenes of the main deeds of Louis XIV from his marriage to the first conquest of the Franche Comté, executed in the Gobelins according to the cartoons of Le Brun, director of this factory, are masterpieces of their kind.

Notes

1. The plates to which the translators refer are: Gobelin high warp tapestry, Gobelin low warp tapestry, and Gobelin dyes. (ed.)

2. [The Manufacture des Gobelins , still located at its original site, continues to produce masterpieces on looms installed in 1742.]